‘Stay with us for life’, ‘Hopefully he retires here’ – Leeds fans desperate for 27-year-old to sign lifetime deal at Elland Road

Indeed, a run of five defeats in their last seven Championship matches has seen the club drop into 11th position in the second tier of English football.

Leeds are now eight points off the top six, and it is going to take some effort in the final months of the season to secure a playoff position.

Twitter can be a cruel place for footballers when they are not performing well, but one player that remains just as popular with the Leeds fans is Pontus Jansson.

The 27-year-old represented the Whites on loan from Torino last season before joining the club on a permanent deal ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

Jansson has made 28 Championship appearances this season, and he has been one of the team’s most consistent performers.

It was Jansson’s birthday on Tuesday, which brought a message on Leeds’ official Twitter account. As expected, the club’s fans were then on hand to pay tribute to the centre-back, who many feel could end up leaving due to the current state of affairs.

That was going to be my question. I wonder if he will stay with us for the rest of his career? It would be nice to think he would, but I realise "long service" and loyalty are rare in football nowadays. We appreciate him, hope he appreciates us too. Happy Birthday Pontus.